Flexibly mounted mail box



Nov. 3, 19 59 J, w, 3055 2,911,174

FLEXIBLY MOUNTED MAIL BOX Filed Feb. 7. 1956 Unlted States Patent ice e Patented Nov. 3, 1959 Fig. 2 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view through one of the pivot joints of the post, taken on the line 2-2, Fig. l; and, 2,911,174 Fig. 3 is a similar section through the other pivot joint 5 of the post, taken on the hue 3-3, Fig. 1. FLEXIBLY MOUNTED MAIL BOX Referring now more particularly to the embodiment James W. Goss, Warren Ohio of the invention illustratedin the drawing, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout, the 1m- PP February 1956, Sen? 563,399 proved flexible mounting includes a fixed or rigid post 2 Claims CL 10 10, embedded in the ground as shown in Fig. 1, with only a few mches thereof extendlng above the ground line indicated at G. t

.The post 10 is preferably formed of metal, and may be of the cross-sectional shape best shown in Fig. 3, g' f ggg g g t g g gi 321 3 comprisirhg the substantially setdni-circliljlar portion 11 with i out-turne anges at its e ges. or the purposeo is; a wctemal oxisocte,a t ate oate P either laterally 0T longitudinally of the mad highacross the open side of the post fth the edge: thereof way along which the box is located, in the event that the being Welded to thc flanges 12 of the post 10, as at t box lpest on which 1t ls'meunted 1S struck by a A bolt 15 is located through a suitable centrally located iia s ufla ur ba n and rural areas Where it is customary to apettture 2 thtedplate :11 g i pivgteq h sec ion 1n ica ene a 1 e e mount mail boxes on posts located at the side of the road f f a g best t m 2 3 3 or highway considerable dtfiteulty is experienced by the A spacer washer 17 is interposed between the plate 13 owners of such mall boxes, due to passing vehicles strikand the tubular pivoted member 16, and nuts 18 and 19 ing eitherthe mail box or the post on which it is mounted, are located upon the outer end of the ho1t15 resultmg m damage the mall or 'breakmg of the In adjusting the parts above described, the nut 18 is tg -t r 1 fl b tightened sufliciently to frictio ally hold the tubular piving 252:: m tlng e same to pivot upon e ot in e event 0 by a o t e roa e 0c in nut is n ti ten to include a frictional vertical pivotal connection between h the nut 18 in adjustedgpositiom e gh e t t t z top of et t whefieby t fi The upper pivoted section 20 of the post is flexibly 0X hi O 3 Ptvot W e 5 g connected to the tubular plvoted section 16, upon a horipassmg "e e e e e Preven mg t e mat zontal frictional pivot located at right angles to the pivot l g sfiggr z i g pizi damaged or broken loose from bolt 15, whereby the same may swing in a plane parallel to the road. This section 20 of the post may be of the winters bazaarsnastiest as s; 5

an at t e t 1 angles to each other, whereby the post may swing upon g a p a e We across e open S e its pivots, either longitudinally or laterally of the road, The pivot bolt 22 is located through the upper portion depeltdtng upon the direction in Wtttch it t be F of the pivoted tubular member 16 and through the plate oblect if s i' to tg 21, a washer 23 being interposed therebetween. The nut f t mg or a mat 0X W c overcomes e 24 is tlghtened upon the end of the bolt 22, sufficiently j ifotlier ol i j e et is to provide a mail box vertically t9 firictiol'ltuy i the post gf 20 normally in upt t t frictionally pivoted upon the supporting post, whereby 52 ga i i g tg ggi i g g fi lf gfi g g z g f g gf gi g p g g g 2:22;: 3: 53; Thezrgut 24 1s held 1n ad usted pos1t1on by the lockmg nut vehicle st 'ke the all box. a

A further ibjeci is to provide'such a mail box mount- A the top of the s'ecnon of f a fiat plate ing'in which the supporting post is provided with a horii g The it t F i zontalfrictional pivot located at right angles to the road, 55 a may 6 any conven Iona cons. we 9 0 mm whereby the post may swing forwardly upon its pivot mail box, and for the purpose of the lnventlon, a plate if Struck byavehicle passing along the road 28 is attached to the lower side thereof, to receive the still further object is to provide a mail box mount- P pwotbolt ing of this type in which a horizontal frictional pivot is Thls bolt 15 low-hid through a l apertures 1n the located in the mounting post, in a plane parallel to the Plates 26 and a spacer Washer 30 bemg mterposed road whereby the post may swing inwardly away from therebetween A nut 31 1s tlghterred upon the end of the the road if struck by a vehicle turning or backing across belt sutttflentty to normally tncttonauy hotttttte mall the road box in position laterally of the road, but permitting the The above objects together with others which will be mail box swtng amtmd the P 29 in the event it is apparent from the drawing and following description, or Struck by a passmg e t and 1S leeked by nut which may be later referred to, may be attained by con- From the above it will be obvious that the flexible structing the flexible mounting in the manner hereinafter mountlllg P t both the 111211 9 and the P from described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying breakage Serlous damage If elthel the 9 the drawing, in which: post is struck by a vehicle. If the end portion of the box nearest to the road is struck by a passmg vehicle,

Fig. 1 is an elevation of a mail box mounted upon a post embodying the invention, as viewed from a road along which it is located;

the flexible pivot 29 will permit the box to swing around the pivot in a horizontal plane without serious damage to'the box and without breaking it loose from the post.

Should a vehicle passing along the road strike the upper pivotal section 20 of the post, it will merely cause the same to swing upon the horizontal pivot 22, without serious damage to the post or box.

In the same manner, if the post is struck by a car moving laterally across the road, the sections 16 and 20- of the post will swing upon the horizontal pivot point 15, outward away from the road.

It should be understood that after the mail box, or either section of the post, has been swung upon its pivot, the parts will remain in this position until they are manually'adjusted to the normal position again. Although the invention is primarily adapted for mounting mail boxes, it may also be applied to signs or other devices which may be mounted upon a post along a highway or the like.

Further, it is pointed out that, if desired, the post may compirse only one pivoted section, pivoted to the stationary lower section of the post on a horizontal pivot disposed laterally of the road, so that the pivoted section of the post may swing forwardly if struck by a passing vehicle.

- In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used forv brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such Words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful construction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flexible mounting for a mail box and the like, comprising a stationary lower post section, a pivoted intermediate post section, a horizontally disposed pivot bolt located through the upper end of the stationary post section and the lower end of the intermediate post section, a spacer washer on said bolt between said post sections, an adjusting nut for adjusting tension upon said bolt for frictionally pivoting said pivoted post section upon the stationary post section so as to normally hold the pivoted post section in upright position while permitting it to be swung upon its pivot under impact and to hold the pivoted post section in any position to which it may be swung, a lock nut for holding the adjusting nut in adjusted position, a pivoted upper post section, a second horizontal pivot bolt disposed at right angles to the first named pivot bolt and located through the upper end of the intermediate post section and the Iower end of the upper post section, a spacer washer on said second pivot bolt between the intermediate post section and the upper post section, an adjusting nut for adjusting tension upon said second bolt for frictionally pivoting said upper post section upon the intermediate post section so as to normally hold the upper post section in upright position while permitting it to be swung upon its pivot under impact and to hold said upper post section in any position to which it may be swung, a lock nut for holding the second named adjusting nut in adjusted position, a horizontal plate fixed to the top of the upper post section, a mail box, a second horizontal plate fixed to the bottom of the mail box, a vertical pivot bolt located through said horizontal plates, a spacer washer on the vertical bolt between said horizontal plates, an adjusting nut for frictionally pivoting the mail box so as to normally hold the mail box in any adjusted position while permitting it to be swung upon its pivot under impact and to hold the mail box in any position to which it may be swung, and a lock nut for holding the adjusting nut upon said vertical bolt in adjusted position, whereby the intermediate post section, the upper post section and the mail box are each held in adjusted position and each may be swung upon its pivot by impact and held in any position to which it may be swung.

2. A flexible mounting for a mail box and the like, comprising a stationary lower post section, a pivoted intermediate post section, a horizontally disposed pivot bolt located through the upper end of the stationary post sec tion and the lower end of the intermediate post section, a spacer washer on said bolt between said post sections, an adjusting nut for adjusting tension upon said bolt for frictionally pivoting said pivoted post section upon the stationary post section so as to normally hold the pivoted post section in upright position while permitting it to be swung upon its pivot under impact and to hold the pivoted post section in any position to which may be swung, a lock nut for holding the adjusting nut in adjusted position, a pivoted upper post section, a second horizontal pivot bolt disposed at right angles to the first named pivot bolt and located through the upper end of the intermediate post section and the lower end of the upper post section, a spacer washer on said second pivot bolt between the intermediate post section and the upper post section, an adjusting nut for adjusting tension upon said second bolt for frictionally pivoting said upper post section upon the intermediate post section so as to normally hold the upper post section in upright position while permitting it to be swung upon its pivot under impact and to hold said upper post section in any position to which it may be swung, and a lock nut for holding the second named adjusting nut in adjusted position, whereby the intermediate post section and the upper post section are each held in adjusted position and each may be swung upon its pivot by impact and held in any position to which it may be swung.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 112,250 Hunter Feb. 28 1871 1,240,190 Forth Sept. 12, 1917 1,273,696 Vanhoof July 23, 1918 1,616,432 Aarseth Feb. 8, 1927 1,696,530 Duncan Dec. 25, 1928 2,628,807 Lincoln Feb. 17, 1953 2,721,631 Honold Oct. 25, 1955 

